Consultant / Principal Consultant, Cambridge (with significant travel to Indonesia)

We are a consultancy based in Cambridge (UK), specialising in biodiversity management. We work with leading  clients across many sectors with the goal of achieving an environmentally sustainable basis for development, by delivering practical solutions for managing biodiversity risk and achieving conservation outcomes. We work on some of the most environmentally complex development projects in the world, across sectors, including energy (particularly hydropower, wind, solar, and geothermal), extractives (mining and oil & gas), agriculture, infrastructure, consumer goods and finance.

Person specification

You are an outstanding individual who is able to take decisions and a strategic approach to designing and leading projects in diverse situations. At the same time, you are an adept team player, comfortably able to work within multi- cultural teams in different environments and countries. You have had a developing world focus in your work, and understand that human and biodiversity issues cannot be separated in such countries.

You have extensive experience of industrial developments and environmental impact assessment in Indonesia, including with extractive industry projects striving to align with the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards.

An ability to think creatively and put oneself in the shoes of our clients is critical. This capacity to understand our clients’ views, coupled with core ecological principles is the making of a TBC consultant. You are politically savvy and able to communicate your ideas succinctly and clearly to non-specialists in English and Bahasa Indonesia. You enjoy building good relations with colleagues working in nature conservation, renewable energy, mining, oil & gas, environment ministries, and multilateral and commercial banks.

Self-motivation and rigour will be essential. Importantly, you will possess a strong analytical mind with the capacity   to transform complex problems into brief, scientifically and politically defensible solutions. You have excellent writing skills, being able to digest, dissect and condense large amounts of information into readable, technically sound summaries. We need versatile communicators who can explain the value of our work, as well as write clear concise reports and papers.

You are probably already well-established within the field of consultancy or industry. You now relish the opportunity to take a leadership role in providing support to our clients as they seek to understand risks and opportunities and to design and implement good-practice mitigation of biodiversity impacts.

Roles

• Developing and implementing a strategy to build TBC’s profile and business opportunities in Indonesia and Singapore. Including developing strategic and innovative proposals of work with new or existing clients, and in new and existing sectors, including using your own network
• Technical project work for clients, and building capacity within client teams, including design and implementation of baseline surveys, ecosystem services reviews, impact assessment, design of mitigation, biodiversity offset feasibility and implementation, and monitoring & evaluation
• Project management for TBC projects in Indonesia (and globally when required), consisting of technical design and critical review of projects, and ensuring timely delivery of on-budget projects to a high level of quality
• Working as an advisor to financial lenders on whether a client is meeting their standards and, conversely, with the clients themselves to explain/negotiate what is required by these standards
• Supporting and developing stakeholder engagement processes, both remotely and in-country, with government, civil society and industry
• Direct negotiation and/or relationship building with industry, government, NGOs, international financial institutions and scientific institutions
• Screening new work opportunities according to TBC’s due diligence processes and succinctly communicating risks and opportunities to the senior team.
• Speaking on behalf of TBC to maintain our careful line between pragmatism and rigour
• Networking within the Indonesian conservation movement and academia
• Writing scientific or policy papers and other articles (in English and Bahasa Indonesia), dependent on client commitments
• Managing interns and/or junior staff, i.e. personnel management in addition to project management
• Recruiting, contracting and managing subcontractors in Indonesia.
• Other work, commensurate with the role.

Attributes

Essential attributes

• At least seven years’ practical experience in environmental consultancy or industry in Indonesia
• Familiarity with international biodiversity, ecosystem services, natural resource and livelihood issues, especially in South-east Asia
  • Solid, technical background and education in a biodiversity-related discipline, such as ecology, ecosystem services and/or conservation. E.g. candidates bringing a specialist field expertise such as botany or marine science, an HCV specialist, conservation planner, ecosystem services specialist or protected areas and livelihoods expert, all with Indonesia focus, would be appropriate.
  • Detailed understanding of the Indonesian policy and regulatory context, including permitting and AMDAL
  • Experience with designing and implementing measures for alignment with IFC Performance Standard 6, and knowledge of global leading practice (for example the mitigation hierarchy and global biodiversity offset policies) particularly in the extractive industries and/or renewable energy sectors
  • Experience of managing and delivering complex projects
  • Excellent English and Bahasa Indonesia writing and verbal communication skills, able to convince sceptical stakeholders
  • An acute understanding of human politics and institutional dynamics
  • Experience of supervising or managing individuals and/or small teams
  • An ability to develop new business and maintain and strengthen existing relationships with individuals and organisations from a range of backgrounds.
  • An ability to provide intellectual leadership, creativity and simplicity to problem solving
  • Positivity, self-motivation and teamwork
  • Ability to spend extended periods of time in Indonesia
  • A Masters, degree or other postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.

Desirable attributes

• Knowledge of forestry / agribusiness approaches to biodiversity management
• Understanding of landscape approaches to development and conservation
• Specialism (qualification) and experience of tropical ecology
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary, multicultural international teams
• Familiarity with scientific publishing
• Sufficient GIS skills (map making and basic analysis) to communicate with our GIS team.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to travel globally and work in challenging environments.

Details

Position details

• Location: Cambridge, UK with significant travel to Indonesia.

• Full-time (near full-time also considered)

• Salary range: £35,000-£50,000 PA (Full time) + benefits (25 days’ holiday, work pension scheme, lifeinsurance and flexible working opportunities)